Marine Instruments

Measuring and collecting tools

6/18/20163 gravity core The most basic sampling device used to collect core samples from the seafloor, it penetrates less than 10 meters into the sediment

6/18/20164 Nansen bottles Sub-surface measurements of water samples are made with water sampling bottles. There it is closed by tripping action. When the bottles have been brought back on deck, the water samples are analyzed.

6/18/20165 Niskin Bottle, Van Dorn Bottle Used to collect water samples from discrete depths, which are then chemically analyzed. Phosphates, nitrates, and silicates Dissolved Oxygen

6/18/20166 Shipek Grab Samples a wide variety of ocean and fresh water sediment. The sampler is designed to take samples in soft ooze, clay, sand, gravel and pebbles on flat or gently sloping bottoms.

6/18/20167 Grab Sampler This instrument is used to remove a piece of the ocean floor for study

6/18/20168 Hydrometer A device used to measure the densities of liquids and solutions.

6/18/20169 Secchi Disk Used to estimate the transparency of seawater, and can provide a relative measure of productivity or turbidity.

6/18/ Drift bottles The use of drift bottles as a means of charting ocean currents is an old one, and their use in research is not without precedent.

6/18/ Current Meter An instrument for measuring the velocity, force, etc., of currents.

6/18/ Temperature and depth recorder With this attached to the collecting net, the depth and temperature can be calculated to determine exactly where and at what temperature the fish were collected in the water column.

6/18/ Salinonometer A hydrometer that determines the concentration of salt solutions by measuring their density

6/18/ Refractometer An instrument used to measure the salt concentration of seawater by using the refraction of light.

6/18/ Hydrophone A microphone for acoustic measurements in fluids. Hydrophone

6/18/ SCUBA Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus

6/18/ Echo Sounding The use of a timed sound wave to determine the depth of the water

6/18/ Global Positioning System (GPS) A worldwide radio- navigation system that utilizes satellites to triangulate a specific location on earth.

Nets and Sieves

6/18/ Dip Net Useful for scooping up seaweed, jellyfish, and other drifting organisms from docks and the side of the vessel.

6/18/ Sediment Sieves Used to analyze sediment grain size composition.

6/18/ Plankton Net A cone shaped net of fine mesh material with a collecting jar at the base.

6/18/ Phytoplankton nets This fine mesh net collects the smallest plant plankton, which is then easily analyzed under the compound scope for diversity and species composition.

6/18/ Neuston Net This new large mesh surface water net enables us to tow for the larger zooplankton (animal plankton), which are readily visible under the dissecting scope.

6/18/ Dredge This device is dragged across the ocean floor to obtain biological or geological samples. It can take many shapes either cylindrical or boxlike.

6/18/ Trawl Net The mouth of the net is kept open through "otter boards" attached to the leading ends of the net, or, by current passing through the net.

6/18/ Crab Pots Crab Pots are used for collecting crabs for study and food

ROVs

6/18/201629ROVS Remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are unoccupied, highly maneuverable underwater robots operated by a person aboard a surface vessel.

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